


Side Story: Ed Takes a Shot in the Dark

by moomoomeep



Series: I Know, You Know [4]
Category: Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood & Manga
Genre: Blood, Canon Divergence, Canon-Typical Violence, Car Chase, Confessions, Death, Explicit Language, Get Together, Kidnapping, M/M, claustrophobic themes
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-19
Updated: 2016-08-19
Packaged: 2018-08-09 17:21:42
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,922
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7810621
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/moomoomeep/pseuds/moomoomeep
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Alternative title: How Ed and Roy first got together. </p><p>While on his way to the Amestrian Embassy in Creta, Ed stumbles upon a case that will leave him fearing for his life.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Side Story: Ed Takes a Shot in the Dark

**Author's Note:**

> I move back to school next week and I still have a lot to prepare, so I wanted to make sure that I got this up for you guys! Thank you all so much for your support on this series so far! It means the world :)
> 
> Inspired by: Psych season 4 episode 9 (there will be potential spoilers throughout)
> 
> Warnings: All listed in the tags. If I missed anything, please let me know.
> 
> Note: Three years post brotherhood, two years before Tuesday the 17th (for reference, Ed’s early birthday makes him 21)
> 
> Disclaimer: I do not own FMA or Psych.

**Summer 1911**

“I don’t understand why we have to do this,” Ed complains loudly.

Mustang sighs. “Because you are twelve years old and in the military. Believe me when I say that you’ll benefit from learning some basic survival skills.

“Can’t I just use alchemy?”

“You can’t always rely on alchemy, Ed. It may not always be available to you.”

Ed resists the urge to snort. He doesn’t think they’ll ever be a day where he’s unable to use his alchemy, but he’ll humor Mustang for now. “Fine, but that doesn’t explain why we needed to go to the parking lot.”

“You’ll see,” Mustang says unhelpfully as he stops in front of a car, pulling a set of keys from his pocket before unlocking and opening the trunk.

Ed frowns as Mustang turns to him, taking a step backwards when his space is invaded. “What are you—get the hell away from me—!”

“Lesson number one,” Mustang says as he effortlessly lifts Ed up and tosses him into the trunk.

Ed growls as the door is closed and he’s encased in total darkness. He bangs on the inner walls of the trunk, hoping that his automail will leave several nasty dents for Mustang to find later. “Let me out of here, you bastard!”

“Edward, keep your voice—ha, it’s alright, General Hakuro. I got the keys right here.”

Ed grins wolfishly at his luck. “Help! He’s kidnapping me and taking me to his lair of evil—!” he’s cut off by the sound of Mustang’s fist slamming against the trunk, which in turn, causes him to burst into maniacal laughter.

“Are you trying to get me arrested?” Mustang says after a long bout of silence.

“Which one of us is stuffed in the trunk here?” Ed counters, and he can imagine Mustang suppressing an eye roll.

“Let’s say you’re on an assignment and you find yourself locked in the trunk of the car. The first thing you want to do is identify your location. Most modern cars have a small window on the back, but mine is covered as would any would-be-kidnappers.”

Well, that explains why it’s so dark in here.

Mustang continues, “What I want you to do is feel around for the taillight and put your foot against it.”

Ed does as he’s told, running his fingers over every inch of the trunk that he can reach until he locates what he thinks is the taillight. “I found it.”

“So, hypothetically, what you would do next, is kick it—”

Ed doesn’t wait until Mustang finishes before kicking out with his automail foot, connecting with the taillight and knocking it out of place.

“Are you—I didn’t want you to actually do it!” Mustang practically exclaims.

Ed would roll his eyes if he weren’t so busy squinting against the sunlight. “Well, you shoulda been more clear.”

Mustang groans. “How is this my life?”

“Hey, if you’re done kidnapping me, can I go? Al said I could get cheesecake after my shift today . . .”

  
*

 

*

 

*

 

*

 

*

 

*

 

**Summer 1920**

Ed’s jolted into consciousness when his head is slammed against something hard, causing his eyes to fly open and gasp to escape his lips. He sucks in a breath and blinks rapidly as his mind struggles to catch up. From what he can tell, he’s lying on his side with his hands bound in a small, dark area. It’s carpeted and based on the speed that he’s traveling, he’d bet money that he’s in the trunk of someone’s car.

Ed bites back a groan at his luck and attempts to loosen his bindings when an intense pain shoots up his arm. He bites down on his lower lip to prevent himself from crying out while he focuses in on the area. The pain is centered on his left shoulder, his clothes are wet and sticking to his skin, and it feels like there’s something lodged within him. Ed furrows his brow in confusion as he tries to figure out what happened when it suddenly hits him: he’s been shot. It’s with this horrifying realization that the memory of what happened returns to him.

He was on his way to the Amestrian embassy in the Cretan capital to meet Roy and Hawkeye, who have been doing envoy work for Grumman in an attempt to improve relations, when the train broke down a few stops away. He was waiting impatiently for a new train to arrive when he overheard two police officers discussing a sting operation to bust some local drug dealers in a nearby neighborhood. With nothing better to do, Ed went to the neighborhood in question and confronted the drug dealer only to be shot and knocked unconscious for his efforts.

Ed swears under his breath at his own stupidity. “Fuck, I gotta get out of here,” he mutters to himself. Knowing that he has no other choice, he takes a deep breath and grits his teeth before struggling with his bindings, fighting against the pain until he’s able to free his hands.

Ed gasps and takes a moment to rub at his sore skin before getting to work. He feels around every inch of the trunk he can reach until he locates the taillight, kicking it out with his automail foot, and looking through the hole he created. He finds that he’s on a dirt road in an unfamiliar wooded area, probably miles away from the station. With nowhere else to go, Ed runs his fingers along the trunk, locating and releasing the emergency latch.

The trunk pops open and Ed stumbles out of the still moving car. The drug dealer yells after him, but Ed pays him no mind as he picks up the pace, remembering another of Roy’s lessons as he runs: _“Zigzag Edward! A straight line is the shortest distance between two people. Zigzag, zigzag—now, soldier!”_

Ed gasps and grits his teeth as pain shoots up his arm with every step. The world is spinning and he knows he’s lost a decent amount of blood, but he knows he can’t stop. He runs until the drug dealer’s shouts fade into the background and he can no longer stand under his own power. Ed ducks behind a large tree and all but collapses to the ground, his breathing labored and body exhausted. He’s in way over his head and he wishes that Roy were here because he would know what to do in this situation.

Ed pauses and sucks in a surprised breath at the thought. Even though he and Roy have become friends since they started exchanging letters while Ed’s been away, he never would have imagined preferring someone’s company over his brother’s, especially in a situation as dire as this. And while he’s on the subject, when did he start referring to him as Roy? He’s always been Mustang or General Bastard in his letters and the latter was mainly for old times sake.

Before Ed can explore his thoughts any further, he hears a rustling coming from the other side of the tree. He covers his mouth with his hand in an attempt to mask his breathing and waits for what feels like an eternity, until the drug dealer moves on.

Ed releases the breath he was holding once it goes quiet before forcing his body to stand, having to fight back the nausea and dizziness that try to overwhelm him while intense pain shoots out from his shoulder. Ed grits his teeth and waits for the pain to pass before leaving his hiding spot in search of a way out. 

*

Ed bursts through the woods and stumbles onto the road after what feels like hours of navigating through surprisingly dense brush. He coughs and tries to get his breathing under control as he searches the area before spotting a gas station a few yards away. Ed doesn’t like the look of this place, but he doesn’t have any other options. He shakes his head before making his way to the station, his limbs becoming heavier with each step. Fuck, he’s probably going to pass out soon.

The door to the main shop opens and a man walks out. He’s wearing a blue jumpsuit with the station’s logo stitched onto his breast. He looks around the area and rushes over as soon as he spots Ed.

“Are you okay, son?” the man asks concerned as he allows for Ed to lean his weight on him.

Ed shakes his head. “No. I’ve been . . .”

“Take it easy. There’s no rush,” the man says as they reach the station.

Ed moves away from the man in favor of clinging to one of the gas pumps. “I’ve been,” he sucks in a breath, “kidnapped and shot. I need you to call General Roy Mustang. He’s an Amestrian officer at the embassy in the capital.”

“Son, I barely understood a word you just said. Who did you want me to call?”

Ed blows out a breath and opens his mouth to respond when he’s startled by a noise behind him. He whirls his head around, having to fight back against dizziness and nausea, and scans the area only to find nothing out of the ordinary.

“Son?” the man questions.

“Right,” Ed says slowly as he keeps his eyes on the terrain because the feeling that there’s something out there isn’t leaving him. “I need you to call General Roy—” he’s cut off when he’s hit upside the head before everything goes black.

*

Ed fights back the urge to groan as he opens his eyes, blinking back the blurriness until he’s able to see clearly. He’s sitting in a chair in a small, cramped room, most of the space being taken over by a desk that would make Roy’s jealous with the amount of paperwork that’s on it. Teetering on top of one of the stacks is a telephone that appears to be in working condition. If he can get to that (and remember the number for the embassy), then he’ll be able to contact Roy.

Ed shifts and tries to move his arms, only to discover that they’re bound behind his back again. He tries to force his bindings loose, but ends up having to bite down hard on his lower lip to stop himself from crying out. Right, he’s been shot. Ed looks down at his wound and is completely surprised to find that it’s been dressed—hell, he even thinks that the bullet has been removed too. But, why would his kidnappers do something like that.

Approaching footsteps pull Ed from his thoughts and he turns to the open door at the same moment that the drug dealer, who kidnapped him, appears in the doorway.

“Wasn’t expecting you to be up for a few hours,” the drug dealer says, his voice low and gruff.

“Were you the one who patched me up?” Ed asks curiously.

“Don’t speak—you’ll just waste your breath,” the drug dealer says as he walks into the room.

“Why did you shoot me?” Ed continues as if the other didn’t speak.

“Damn boy, you hard of hearing or something,” the drug dealer says with a shake of his head. He pulls out a chair from behind the desk and sits down, kicking his head onto the desk and regarding Ed with a curious yet suspicious expression.

Ed licks at his bottom lip. “What’s your name?”

The drug dealer snorts. “What’s it to you?”

“I keep referring to you as ‘the drug dealer’ in my head and frankly, it’s a mouthful.”

The drug dealer barks out a laugh. “You’re a cheeky brat, I’ll give you that. The name’s Big Mike and the other fella round here is known as Tiny.”

Ed tightens his jaw and lifts his chin in a defiant manner. “I’ll ask again, Big Mike. Why did you shoot me?”

Big Mike regards Ed with an unreadable expression for a long moment. “You ever heard of The Benson Brothers?”

“Everyone has. A Cretan gang that smuggles dope into Amestris and sits on a trillion Cens Empire.”

Big Mike smirks. “You got that right. See, we were scheduled to meet with our suppliers so we could discuss bringing another shipment into Amestris when you wandered into our territory.”

“So, you shot me?”

“And we’ve since determined you’re clean, but you understand that we can’t let you go.”

Unfortunately, Ed does.

Big Mike smiles then and it creeps Ed out to no end. “Well, Tiny is out back loading the truck so we can finally meet with our suppliers,” he says before standing up. “When he gets back, we’ll decide what to do with you. Any last requests?”

Ed thinks on that for a moment. In all honesty, there’s only one thing he’d really like to do. “I’d like to call my little brother,” he lies. “He’s the only family I have left and I’d like to say goodbye.”

Big Mike looks surprised at Ed’s answer. “Damn; your brother would be all alone?”

Ed nods and Big Mike blows out a heavy breath. He walks over to the door and peers around the corner for a moment before walking over to the desk. “Alright, make it quick,” he says, picking up the phone and depositing it in Ed’s lap.

Ed blinks in complete shock while Big Mike frees him from his bindings. He brings his wrists in front of him and rubs at his sore skin. “ . . . Thank you.”

“Don’t. I got a little brother who’d be alone too. I can’t let you go, but the least I can do is let you say goodbye. Keep your voice down and I’ll guard the door,” Big Mike says, nodding to Ed before turning and leaving the room, making sure to shut the door behind him.

Ed stares at the door in shock before he springs into action. He’s unsure of Big Mike’s true motives, but he’s not one to look a gift horse in the mouth. He picks up the receiver and places it against his ear before dialing the number that he thinks is for the Amestrian embassy. Ed chews on his lower lip, listening to the phone ring for what feels like ages before the line clicks.

“Amestrian Embassy,” a woman answers.

“I need to speak to General Mustang, it’s urgent,” Ed says, making sure to keep his voice low.

“May I ask who’s calling?”

“Edna,” Ed responds, using Roy’s old codename for him. “He’ll know who I am.”

“ . . . Very well,” the woman says after a moment of contemplation. “I’ll have you transferred.”

The phone begins ringing again and Ed waits with baited breath until an all too familiar voice enters his ears.

“Mustang.”

Ed’s breath hitches and he’s unable to stop the goofy smile that crosses his face. “Roy?”

“ . . . Ed?” Roy says in complete disbelief. “Is that . . . it’s been so long.”

“Yeah,” Ed says lamely, while his heart pounds in chest.

“Don’t get me wrong, as great as it is to hear from you, aren’t you supposed to be on a train?”

“About that,” Ed swallows hard, “See, I _might_ have accidentally gotten myself kidnapped.”

Roy is silent and Ed thinks he might have hung up when there’s a long suffering sigh on the other end. “ _Again?_ Edward, we’ve been through this _how_ many times?”

Roy starts lecturing him then and Ed knows he doesn’t have the time to listen to this, but it’s so good to hear Roy’s voice. He can’t stop the way that his heart is stuttering and his mind feels like it’s going a mile a minute, when suddenly, everything stops and shifts back into place. Ed’s eyes widen with this epiphany and he can’t stop himself from swearing louder than intended.

“I can’t believe this,” Ed says, making sure to keep his voice low. “I had all this fucking time and I have to realize this right before I die.”

“Edward, don’t be ridiculous you’re not going to die. Where are you?” 

“How could I have been so stupid? I’m about to die and . . . and you’re the only person that I want to talk too.”

“What are you talking about—?”

“I love you.”

Roy sucks in a breath while Ed holds his, knowing the weight of his confession. Fuck, he must’ve had these feelings all along, but after spending so many years focused on the stone, he didn’t realize until now.

“Ed,” Roy says softly and Ed hangs onto his every word. “I . . . I think I might—”

The line is cut and Ed resists the urge to scream because he knows that Roy was going to say it back. A loud crash on the other side of the door is all the warning Ed gets before it’s violently kicked off its hinges.

Tiny steps into the room, his face twisted in rage. He stalks over to Ed, yanking the phone from his grip and hurling it at the wall, keeping his gaze locked onto Ed’s while the phone smashes into pieces.

“You didn’t have to destroy the phone,” Big Mike says, breaking the tense silence.

Tiny sighs heavily and turns his gaze onto Big Mike. “Of course I did, you idiot. He probably called his General friend. Goddammit, we were so close to pulling this off and of course you had to screw it up.”

“I just wanted to say goodbye to my brother,” Ed says in an attempt to gain control of this situation. “He’s the only family I got left.”

“I don’t believe you,” Tiny says harshly.

“It was just a quick call to his brother,” Big Mike says and Ed is shocked that his kidnapper is defending him. “Just a quick call to say goodbye before we dumped him out back.”

Tiny growls. “I’ll dump you out back,” he says as he whirls around, pulling a gun out of his waist band in the same movement, before shooting Big Mike three times in the torso at point blank range.

Ed watches horrified as Big Mike’s lifeless body crumples to the ground. “You didn’t have to kill him, you fucking psychopath!”

“Gods, don’t tell me that you’re an idiot too?” Tiny questions before he reaches out and grabs Ed by his hair.

Ed yelps as he’s forcibly dragged from his chair and out of the tiny room, through the gas station, and out to the truck all while yelling bloody murder.

Tiny growls in annoyance and adjusts his grip. “Shut. The. Fuck. Up,” he says, slamming Ed’s head against the bed of the truck with every punctuation until he’s no longer conscious.

*

Ed sucks in a heavy breath as his eyes fly open, coughing into his hand before staring at it in shock. Tiny must’ve been so desperate to leave or so confident that Ed wasn’t going to wake up that he didn’t bother to bind him. Either way, that’s advantage Elric. He rolls onto his stomach and tries to raise himself onto his knees, only to face plant when Tiny pops a particularly nasty pothole. He grits his teeth and starts moving again when he registers the sound of loud, blaring sirens following them.

Ed scrambles onto his knees and pops the top of his head over the side of the truck, smiling at the sight that greets him. Several Cretan military vehicles loom in the distance, sirens blaring as cars pull out of their way. Leading the charge are two familiar faces that Ed hasn’t seen in years. He laughs in disbelief and raises his arms in the air to wave at them, hoping they’ll be able to spot him from this distance and they must, since Roy leans over and says something to Hawkeye, which prompts her to speed up until they’re riding directly parallel with Tiny’s truck.

Roy rolls down the window and sticks his head out. “Edward! What the hell were you thinking?”

“Lecture me later,” Ed yells back as he judges the distance between Tiny’s truck and Hawkeye’s vehicle. “Move the car closer, I’m going to jump!”

“Absolutely not—don’t oblige him, Colonel,” Roy says irritated as Hawkeye obediently drifts closer.

Ed grabs onto the edge of the truck with both hands and hauls himself up at the same moment Tiny jerks the wheel in an attempt to ram one of the Cretan military vehicles that’s crept onto his other side. Ed’s grip is ripped from the truck as he loses his balance and falls with a startled shout, reaching out to grab Roy’s outstretched hand before he’s splattered onto the pavement.

Roy’s grip is like iron as he, with one arm, hauls Ed into the car via the window. Ed crawls over Roy’s lap and fits himself into the small space on the front seat between Roy and Hawkeye. He blows out a breath while willing his heartbeat to slow down as Roy straightens himself up and turns to glare at Ed.

“Are you out of your fucking mind? You could’ve been killed.”

Ed covers up his surprise at Roy swearing by narrowing his eyes. “You saved me though, didn’t you?”

“Yes, but what if I hadn’t been fast enough?”

“But, you were.”

“But, what if I wasn’t? I can’t lose you, Ed, you’re too important to me.”

Ed’s heart skips a beat and suddenly he’s overwhelmed with guilt. It must show on his face because Roy sighs heavily and places a warm hand on Ed’s shoulder.

“I’m not mad just . . . don’t do it again.”

Ed swallows hard and reaches up to curl his fingers around Roy’s hand. “You know I can’t promise that.”

Roy snorts and shakes his head. “What am I going to do with you?” he says and Ed manages to crack a smile.

“Sir, if I may,” Hawkeye interrupts. “We still have the issue of this truck.”

“I’ll take care of it,” Roy says, squeezing Ed’s shoulder once before removing his hand. He shifts and sticks his arm out the window before snapping. A thin stream of flames emerges from Roy’s fingertips and strikes the truck with pinpoint accuracy.

Ed watches as Tiny swerves off the main road and crashes into a telephone pole. He climbs out of the truck and runs around in an attempt to put himself out while the Cretan military surrounds him. Tiny is quickly arrested and escorted from the scene and for the first time since his ordeal began, Ed relaxes into his seat.

“Thank you,” he says gratefully.

“Don’t mention it,” Hawkeye says as she pulls onto the side of the road. When Ed looks up at her, she’s smiling. “It’s good to see you, Ed.”

“You too,” Ed says, returning the smile before turning his attention to Roy. “General.”

Roy snorts softly. “You’ve already been calling me by my name,” he says before his tone takes on a more seductive edge. “Why stop now?”

Ed hums nonchalantly in an attempt to cover the way that his breath hitches. As much as he would like to sit here and flirt to see where it would lead, it might get awkward with Hawkeye right here. “You know, if I remember correctly, we have a conversation to finish.”

“That we do,” Roy confirms as his gaze intensifies. “We’ll have plenty of time to talk on the train.”

Ed resists the urge to smirk and licks his bottom lip, watching delighted as Roy’s eyes follow the movement. “I look forward to it, _Roy_ ,” he says and if the look Ed gets in response is anything to go by, he’s going to have an interesting trip back to Central, indeed.


End file.
